Music has always had a great impact on people and culture. People enjoy listening to various types of music as they can elicit different feelings and emotions. Recently, music has been discovered to possibly have some harmful effects.
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Science has found a new way for teens to get “high”: music. There is a new concept called a “digital drug” where when it is listened to it elicits feelings similar to when under the influence of an actual drug. Digital drugs are defined as “drugs that are both dependent on and substantially constituted by multiple digital representations and connections, and whose use and effectiveness is strongly mediated through digital means.” Teens are participating in “i-dosing” which involves listening to sounds and tones, also known as digital drugs, on YouTube to give them a euphoric and high feeling.
Studies have been conducted on these “digital drugs” finding that they do not alter the brain as physical drugs do, but different tracks can elicit the effects of marijuana, cocaine, opium, and peyote. It is clear that these sound tracks can elicit some sort of temporary ‘high’ feeling but can they come with negative effects as well?
PsychologyToday stated that such sounds have been used before to treat anxiety and they do not consider them to be dangerous. These so-called digital drugs are actually not a new concept. In the 1800s, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove discovered the concept of the “binaural beat” where tones of different frequencies are played in order to alter brain waves to treat anxiety. Other claims have been made that these tones increase dopamine and beta-endorphin production therefore eliciting a “high.”
A scientific article by Tony Corford and Valentina Lichtner, entitled “Digital Drugs: an anatomy of new medicines,” states that the idea of a “digital drug” goes beyond teens searching for a high and “these initiatives seem to offer new possibilities for therapeutic improvement and innovation through digitally mediated ways of using drugs.”
Like any drug, it can be abused. In this sense teens can also abuse these digital drugs, but because they are said to not alter the brain in any way the question is whether they still can be abused like actual drugs. These digital drugs seem to have great possibilities for the future of medicine in a new and unique way than anything that we have seen before. The only fear that seems to come with digital drugs is the recreational use by teens in order to feel high. The use and ease of availability by teenagers causes these digital drugs to possibly be a gateway drug to actual drug use. Because digital drugs do not come with the effects of the actual drug, this can lead teens to believe that such drugs will not cause harm and that they are fine therefore increasing the possibility of drug use. Despite these negative possibilities, digital drugs are seemingly harmless and may have great future possibilities in medicine.
Digital drugs can be abused and lead to possible negative effects, but binaural beats, when used correctly, can lead to healing. These sounds cause the brain to produce “low-frequency pulsations in the amplitude and sound localization of a perceived sound when two tones at slightly different frequencies are presented separately.” Basically, the specific blending of sounds and tones causes the brain to produce a series of pulsations resulting in an impact on one’s mood. Various binaural beats are created to heal, clear focus, meditate and relax. There are many variations of binaural beats used for healing.
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Just like any method of healing and medicine, there is room for negative effects and abuse. These sounds can be abused as “digital drugs,” but they also have significant positive uses and effects. If used correctly, binaural beats open a new area of healing in the medical field and can have a very positive impact on the future of medicine. These sounds have minimal negative impacts, are not costly, and can help to heal in new ways. For the future, it is important to limit the availability and possibility of abusing the sounds. It is important to research more on the effects of binaural beats and digital drugs as well as test to determine how well they really work. More research must be conducted to also discover the future possibilities of auditory healing within the medical field.
Here are some examples of binaural beats and the effects they have had on people.
I agree with you, Amy, on the aspect of where our society is heading by finding other methods of drug use. I feel like more people should be aware of this issue, especially for the younger generations that may be participating in it. It’s a risky area because there could be great possibilities for healing but also many possibilities for drug abuse.
This is a very interesting post and is something I never even heard of before. I’m curious to know where you heard about this because it’s very surprising. I think for me personally the shock factor of this topic is the most interesting part of this post. Although, in addition you provide great evidence and well done analysis of your evidence to make this post really informative and engaging. I had no idea that digital drugs even existed and to know that they it’s a little troubling to hear. To me this sounds like society is heading in a bad direction and I hope that these digital drugs don’t become popular in order to get high. I hope that if people do participate they use them for the purpose of healing and relaxing like you mention above.